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Water, worries flood York County after Sandy moves through

Residents in Glen Rock and Seven Valleys struggled to stay ahead of the storm.

By TIM STONESIFER

Daily Record/Sunday News

Updated:
11/01/2012 09:35:18 AM EDT

The junk food aisle looked a little different, lit by the light of a single cellphone.

Brandon Mull, of Seven Valleys, held a pack of Little Debbies in his left hand, and with his right navigated the aisles of Wetzel's Market in Glen Rock, a lone circle of light among the Cosmic Brownies and Pecan Spinwheels.

"I wanted a snack," he explained, with the hint of a grin.

Rain drenched the area as storms rolled in Monday, and across much of southern York County the lowest common denominator was the need to find high ground.

In Glen Rock, that meant Wetzel's Market on Route 216.

Mull stopped on his way home from work, not sure the store would be open as Hurricane Sandy lashed the East Coast. Low-lying areas, like Glen Rock, were taking a beating by Monday afternoon.

The store lost power around lunchtime, according to manager Ben Wetzel. But it remained open, he said, powered by a generator and lit by a bare bulb, glimmering over the express aisle.

"We wanted to do whatever we could," Wetzel said.

Late in the afternoon, there were two employees camped under that bulb above the empty battery rack and another guiding customers through darkened aisles with a hand-held flashlight.

For Jon Page and grandson Elijah Miller, it was a break after being cooped up.

"You can't play Legos all day," said 8-year-old Elijah.

But in downtown Glen Rock, the scene was more serious.

"We will have to evacuate," said Assistant Fire Chief Mike Naylor. "It's not if, but when."

And as the storm intensified into Monday evening - as the south branch of the Conewago Creek swelled up its banks behind the fire station - the problem pressed closer. By dusk, crews had set up two emergency stations, one on either side of the rushing creek.

Water rushes across a washed out bridge in front of an empty construction vehicle from the Southbound view of Route 616 heading into Seven Valleys. (DAILY RECORD/SUNDAY NEWS--JASON PLOTKIN)

Monday night brought at least one water rescue. A woman fell into that churning water but was pulled out unharmed, said John Abbott, the borough's emergency management coordinator.

Crews remained on standby Monday night to evacuate Glen Rock, if another few inches of water fell.

A few miles up Route 616, much of downtown Seven Valleys already was under water.

Shirley Brenneman stepped out of her home with a black jacket held above her head. In front of her, a river flowed down Main Street.

"It's all gone," she said, water wetting her gray hair and glasses.

Brenneman explained she'd recently marked off a garden behind her home. The stakes were ripped out and carried away, she said, the driveway well under water.

Still, the flood waters weren't yet in the basement, Brenneman said. The house was still dry.

Don Mullen of Seven Valleys uses a flashlight to search the soup section Monday at Wetzel's Market in Glen Rock. Manager Mike Wetzel said the store uses a natural gas generator to stay open during power failures.